Page 162 of Mountain Boss

Or into the river.

Or literally wherever the hell he wants because he has a penis.

I’ve never been more jealous of someone’s genitalia in my life. Because although the outhouse isn’t as disgusting as I was expecting, it’s still an outhouse. And that toilet seat is going to feel like ice against my butt cheeks.

Silently cursing Sterling for his urinating abilities, I spend the next two minutes struggling to climb down from my bunk.

My feet hit the floor just as the door opens again, and Sterling waits as I pull on one of my sweatshirts and boots.

I keep my eyes forward, not looking back at the other bunks, as we step out into the crisp morning together.

Even though the darkness is lifting, Sterling holds a flashlight beam ahead of us, and when we reach the outhouse, he hangs the light inside for me.

“I’ll wait right here,” he tells me.

When I open the door a few minutes later, he’s exactly where he said he’d be.

The hand sanitizer is drying on my hands, but I still make him go over to the water spigot so I can wash them properly. They have a special type of camping soap that’s okay to use for washing hands and dishes in the open, and I feel less gross after using it. But I can’t stop my yawn as we approach the cabin.

Sterling places his hand on the small of my back. “Go back to sleep for an hour. You can head back to the Lodge after breakfast.”

I tip my head back to look at him. “You’re staying up?”

He nods. “I’ll get the fire going. Prep for the day.”

“Do you want help?” I try to keep the wince out of my voice.

Please say no.

“I got it.” He strokes his hand up my spine. “Go back to sleep.”

“If you insist.”

He dips his chin, then drops his hand away from me.

Sighing at the loss of contact, I open the cabin door and step inside.

I toe my boots off and head back toward our bunk.

“Morning.”

My head jerks over at the whispered greeting. I hadn’t noticed the man standing a few feet away.

I lift a hand to Fisher. “Morning. Good night.”

He grins. “Going back to bed?”

I nod.

“I’ll do the same if the boss doesn’t make me help him.” Fisher uses his arm to cover his yawn.

I hold up crossed fingers. “Good luck.”

I’m standing at the end of my bunk when the door closes, marking Fisher’s departure.

The guests are still all asleep, but Fisher saw me up. He knows Sterling is outside. And I know Sterling isn’t coming back in. So…

I grab the pillow off the top bunk, then crawl into the lower bed.

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